Why Does Windows Install Candy Crush?
Many users are frustrated to discover that shortly after installing a clean version of Windows 10, unwanted apps like Candy Crush Saga, Twitter, or Disney+ magically appear in their Start menu. This happens because Windows 10 includes a built-in feature called “Microsoft Consumer Experiences.”
This feature allows Microsoft to silently download and install sponsored applications in the background without asking for your permission. Fortunately, you can disable this behavior and take back control of your hard drive.
How to Stop Windows 10 from Installing Sponsored Apps
The most effective way to permanently disable this feature is through the Windows Registry. (Note: Always be careful when editing the registry; follow these steps exactly).
- Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialogue box.
- Type
regeditand press Enter to open the Registry Editor. - Click Yes if prompted by User Account Control.
- In the left-hand navigation pane, navigate to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent(If you do not see the “CloudContent” folder under Windows, right-click the “Windows” folder, select New > Key, and name it CloudContent).
- Click on the CloudContent folder to select it.
- Right-click on an empty space in the right-hand pane, select New, and then choose DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Name this new value exactly:
DisableWindowsConsumerFeatures - Double-click your newly created value and change the Value data to
1. - Click OK and close the Registry Editor.
After a system reboot, Windows 10 will no longer secretly download sponsored apps. Note: This registry edit prevents future downloads; you will still need to manually right-click and uninstall the junk apps (like Candy Crush) that are already currently installed on your system.